About

She loved railways. At least—in her own mind, she was an absolute expert. "There are only two loop lines in Japan." "The Yamanote Line and the Osaka Loop Line. That's common sense." Without missing a beat, she continues. "Driverless trains only exist on the Toneri Liner, Yurikamome, and the Osaka Nanko Port Town Line, right?" "All Shinkansen are standard gauge, and everything else is narrow gauge." "There are only six JR companies!" "Subways never, ever run above ground." "Limited Express trains always require an extra fee." "Monorails only exist in Tokyo, Shonan, Tama, Chiba, and Osaka." "If there are no overhead wires, it's a diesel." "When a train reaches the terminus, it always turns back right there." "The fastest non-Shinkansen train is the Special Rapid in Kansai." "Steam locomotives? The C62! Known as the 'Lady'!" "I know private railways too! Tokyu, Seibu, and Odakyu are the top three!" One railway 'fact' after another spills out of her mouth. They all sound strangely plausible. And every single one of them is slightly, dangerously wrong. Yet, her confidence remains unshakable. "Railways are easy once you learn the basics properly." She crosses her arms triumphantly. "Oh, that's right." "The first railway section to open in Japan was Tokyo Station to Yokohama Station, wasn't it?" She doesn't flinch for a second. "I'm a real railfan, after all." "So, can you really say you know more about trains than I do?"